Tracks of Hope
by LadyAlambiel
Summary: When the Pevensie children entered Narnia they never realized they had left behind tracks of hope...


Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't...

Summary: When the Pevensie children entered Narnia they never realized that they had left behind tracks of hope...

A/N: This is part of my _A Light in the Darkness_ universe, but this one-shot can be read as a standalone. This is the more serious companion fic to dreaminsapphire's _Snow Angels_. Please check her story out too.

**Tracks of Hope**

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Snow. Everything was covered in snow, just as it had been since the days of my grandmother, Sekhmet, when the White Witch first invaded Narnia. One hundred years of snow, one hundred years of winter, and one hundred years of resistance. Would it ever end?

I shook my head. I was in the Lantern Waste, which was definitely not the place for wandering thoughts, not with Her spies showing an increase in activity here over the last fortnight. I looked around cautiously before picking my way down a snowy outcrop, but there was hardly anything to see or hear or smell. For two hours, I roamed through the woods looking for any sign of why there had been a sudden increase in Her attention to this part of the Lantern Waste while avoiding those Trees who had gone over to Her and would have reported the unusual presence of a Leopard in the Lantern Waste as soon as they saw me. I huffed a little in irritation as I crossed the frozen river a little north of where the Beavers had built their dam, after all, I would not be the one scouting this area if the numbers of the Resistance had not dwindled so far. I sometimes wondered if we who still resisted were simply clinging to an empty promise, but though our hope is fading, I still refused to give in to one such as Her.

I snarled softly out of habit when I passed through a spot where the Wolves of Her Secret Police had been less than four hours beforehand. However, the scent was old enough that I knew they had not attempted to circle back and the tracks indicated that they were headed back to Her castle, so no chance of a skirmish. Squinting up at the sky, I decided I would check on Amaryllis and her sisters then I would finish my scouting endeavor as quickly as I could manage. There was nothing to be found, just Her paranoia causing an increase in the rounds made by the Secret Police and Her other spies, which meant another disappointing report to take back. I had wanted to find something, anything that would give us some hope that our battered Resistance was not in vain.

I had nearly reached the small copse where Amaryllis and her sisters made their home when I saw them. The snow had begun to fall again and started to fill them but I could still make out the shapes. It looked like someone had lain in the snow, or more like three different beings based on just the size. I had no idea why anyone would do so, but then I spotted other tracks: footprints. Four different sets of footprints.

I stepped closer and inhaled deeply. My tail twitched as I sorted through the smells and attempted to identify who had made the tracks. The two smaller sets of footprints could have belonged to Dwarfs, but the spacing was off and the larger two sets of footprints had too long a stride to belong to a Dwarf. No, these were not tracks belonging to Dwarfs. I shook my head and inhaled again. I did not smell any hint of a Tree as normally followed in the wake of the Nymphs, but I did smell fur. Yet, it was dead, not a living creature. I shifted to what looked to be the head of the nearest shape, the one that appeared to belong to the second largest footprints, and inhaled deeply once again.

I jerked back in surprise and shook myself, ridding my coat of the dusting of snow. Then I looked down again. There was no possible way for that scent to be correct...I didn't even have a word to truly identify the scent. My nose and whiskers brushed lightly against the snow as I checked one last time, searching for something I had missed or somehow overlooked the first three times. No, it hadn't changed. Beneath the scent of dead fur, I smelled something else...something different... It was fresh like there was something warmer trying to escape the cool crisp smell of snow.

I quickly moved to the heads of the other two shapes and inhaled deeply twice more. I closed my eyes for a moment before I nodded to myself. Yes, the scents varied ever so slightly between the three shapes, but that underlying base scent that was different from everything else I had smelled in my lifetime, that scent remained the same. The snow had nearly filled the smallest set of footprints, but the tracks were still clear enough that I could see they had come from the direction of the copse where Amaryllis and her sisters dwelt. I wondered if they had seen the ones responsible for these tracks...there was only one way to find out.

I forced myself to continue moving with caution even though every fiber of my being, from my whiskers to the tip of my tail, bristled with the urge to rush forward and receive confirmation of my suspicions. Maybe the reason for the increased activity by Her followers was truly a reason to confirm the hope I and others still clung to in the midst of this dismal winter. I reached the copse of trees and heard my own name being called before I could even draw breath to summon Amaryllis. "Sherket! Sherket, praise the Lion, you came today! Have you seen them? Are they not marvelous?"

I raised a paw and cautioned the excited Birch Nymphs, "Lower your voices, my friends, and speak carefully of what you saw." Amaryllis and her sister, Amarantha, both blushed silver, as they were old enough to know better. Their sister, Alyssa, was little more than a sapling so her enthusiastic dancing about me could be excused. Alyssa stilled at my words, wrapped her arms around my neck in a silent greeting, then she dashed to hide behind Amaryllis' skirts as her sisters exchanged glances before beckoning me to come a little closer.

I obliged the Nymphs willingly and Amaryllis began to describe what they had seen in a much quieter tone than before, though I could still hear the excitement hovering just below the surface. "Oh, Sherket, we saw them. Less than an hour ago, they passed by our Trees and they were wonderful. There were four of them, Sherket, four! Two males and two females..."

Amarantha jumped in as Amaryllis trembled with excitement and could no longer speak. "Two males and two females just like in the prophecy, Sherket. It must be them!"

I felt my own excitement rising by the second, but I forced myself to check once more. "You are certain they were not just some Dwarfs and Nymphs passing through the area?"

"Yes, we are certain. Two were too tall to be Dwarfs and all four of them moved differently from any Dwarf or Nymph I've seen."

I met Amaryllis' dark eyes, which were full of sincere hope, and then I nodded slowly as I made my decision. Somehow, by the grace of Aslan, four beings had entered Narnia and I now harbored the hope that their strange smell was a sign that they were indeed Humans...two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve. "The tracks I found were headed north. Amaryllis, send a Robin to alert Beaver to their presence, and then you and your sisters prepare to move when word comes."

I waited only for Amaryllis to acknowledge my instructions and then I ran as fast as possible back through the woods. I cast all my training aside and raced towards the leaders of the Resistance. This was a report that I could not wait to bring back, it had taken ten years but I finally had something to report that I was eager to share...the news of these tracks of hope. In some areas, I leapt from rock to rock in order to avoid being slowed by the thick blanket of snow that covered the ground. Perhaps one day soon I would know what it felt like to race over grass and dirt, where my pace was not slowed by thick snow and I could run with all the speed and grace that Aslan had blessed the Big Cats with because the Long Winter had ended. One day perhaps...

It was a mere two hours before nightfall by the time I reached the system of caves the Resistance leaders were using as their current headquarters. I didn't stop to greet the guards on watch, not even my cousin, Ptah. Instead, I raced by them all, ignoring the shouts for me to slow down. I couldn't slow down. The news I carried could not be delayed any longer than necessary. So, I ignored them all as I darted around some and leapt over others who accidentally stepped in my path as I charged further into the caves heading for the larger council chamber. I would find the leaders of the Resistance there and I would give them my news.

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I looked over the map of Narnia with unseeing eyes as my thoughts were preoccupied with the instructions of my Lord. Two years ago, I had been ready to give up hope of ever seeing Jadis defeated and then the first dream came. The Great Lion Himself spoke to me and the tiny spark of hope I had clung to over the last few decades began to burn anew. I once again stepped into the role of one of the leaders of the Resistance and I spoke with many urging them to continue on resisting Jadis and to have faith in Aslan and the prophecy. Six months after the first dream, He visited my dreams once more, but this time I was to come to Him on the shores of the Eastern Ocean below Cair Paravel. My Lord Aslan honored me with His presence and He explained in further detail the task He had given to me. In keeping with His instructions, I began to gather an army, some I spoke to chose to join the ranks of the Resistance immediately while others pledged to come to a prearranged location when summoned. For a year and a half, I have worked to fulfill my Lord's instructions to the best of my ability and now I waited, we all waited, for the sign Aslan promised to send when the appropriate time had come.

The stars promised change and battle, but even they refused to reveal the exact timing of the events they foretold. However, with the rumor of a Human visiting the Lantern Waste reaching me a fortnight ago and then the reports of increased activity on Jadis' part, I firmly believed that the appropriate time was nearing rapidly. I hoped Sherket would find something on her scouting trip that confirmed my belief. "Oreius."

Pulled from my musing, I looked up to see Ardon waiting for me to acknowledge him. "What is it?"

"There's some sort of commotion near the front of the caverns involving one of the scouts from my understanding."

I frowned as the other leaders of the Resistance present moved closer to hear, "Do you know which scout?"

Ardon was about to reply when the need to do so disappeared as Sherket streaked into the chamber and stopped in the middle of the room. Cletus, Ardon, Alithia, and I all waited for the Leopard to catch her breath and when she finally did, I could hardly believe my ears. "I found them, tracks in the woods of the Lantern Waste. They did not belong to any Narnians nor to any of Her creatures."

I was thankful that I was able to keep my emotions under control as I pressed Sherket for details. "Then who did the tracks belong to?"

Sherket's amber gaze widened even further as she breathed her response, "Humans. The tracks belonged to four Humans."

I exchanged looks with the others. We all knew the prophecy; it was what most, if not all, of our hopes for defeating Jadis hung on. I turned back to Sherket and asked the question we all wanted an answer to, "Did you see them?"

"No. But, I smelled the tracks and their scent was nothing I had ever encountered before. I also spoke with Amaryllis and her sisters, and they did see them this morn. Four Humans, two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve, entered the Lantern Waste this morn. I had Amaryllis send word to Beaver so he could take care of them since my presence would have been too noticeable."

I nodded as I tried to process the fact that the sign Aslan had promised had finally come. "Well done, Sherket." She inclined her head and would have slipped out of the room if I had not motioned for her to stay before I turned to the others. "Send word to all of our allies, they are to gather together at the camp eight miles east of the Ford of Beruna. As for ourselves, we will take all of our people here and leave for the camp within the next two hours."

Cletus gave me a puzzled look as he pointed out, "Oreius, there is no camp at Beruna."

I nodded, "I know there is not one there at this moment, but by this time tomorrow, there shall be one. This is where we will meet Aslan and the Four royals."

Cletus inclined his head in acknowledgement of the truth of my words, and then we each went our own way to help move our people out as quickly as possible. As I threw myself into the next step of my task, I rejoiced and praised Aslan in my heart for fulfilling His promise and His prophecy. With the arrival of the four Sons and Daughters of Adam and Eve, there was nothing I could think of that would truly stop the prophecy from coming true and breaking the Witch's enslavement of Narnia. I couldn't hide the slight smirk as I realized that the sign of tracks in the snow had literally become the tracks of hope. Praise Aslan, the embodiments of our hope had finally come to Narnia. Now, Aslan willing, we would go to war and wrest our freedom back from the Witch.

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**A/N: Please Read and Review! This one-shot was inspired by dreaminsapphire's story _Only the Beginning_ when she had Susan note that the Pevensie children made snow angels as trail markers and I wondered what would happen if good Narnians came across those tracks. I took the what if a soldier/member of the Resistance found them route, while Dream took the lighter, fluffy route. I did take a little liberty with where Aslan's Camp would be set up as it's not right on the hill of the Stone Table and is more in keeping with the map done for the movie, so I just labeled the entire area as Beruna. Hopefully, you enjoyed this little one-shot. Click the little review button below and let me know what y'all think about this one-shot and if you have any requests for future stories.**

**And, don't forget to check out _Snow Angels_.**


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